Longitudinal wheat yields in China have declined in recent times due to climate change, more frequent natural disasters, and suboptimal agronomic management. To date, it has been unclear which factors have predominated yield penalties realised hitherto in Hubei Province. This study aimed to identify key factors limiting wheat production across systems and agroecological regions, and provide a basis for increasing crop production while engendering food security. Survey data from 791 households in Hubei Province were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Significant spatial heterogeneity in average wheat yields was observed, with the Jianghan Plain region having significantly lower yields compared with the northwest region (yield gap: 1125 kg·hm⁻²). Dryland wheat had higher average yields than rice-rotation wheat (yield gap: 134 to 575 kg·hm⁻²). Socioeconomic factors, cultivation management measures, and environmental factors contributed differently to yield differences. Input costs and economic benefits were key social factors influencing wheat production. Variation in management were mainly attributed to planting methods, while soil fertility and climatic factors limited yields in some regions. In the northwest, low soil fertility and susceptibility to drought and high temperatures had greater influence on yields. In the Jianghan Plain, soil waterlogging and erosion were key challenges. Waterlogging increased the probability of low yields by 8.6 times, while severe soil erosion increased probability of yield loss by a factor of almost five. Low-yield farms in the Jianghan Plain were 21% higher than those in the northwest. Extreme weather events also contributed to low yields in the Jianghan Plain. We note significant potential for increasing farm-level wheat production in Hubei Province, with large existing differences across agro-ecological regions and planting modes. Differences in cultivation practices was a major driving factor of yield gaps between planting modes, while soil fertility and meteorological disasters drive regional yield differences. These results have implications for those aspiring to narrow the yield gap across regions and increase production of cereal crops.

Here we document physiological and molecular attributes of three wheat cultivars (ZM9023, YM158 and FM1228) under low light intensity with advanced technologies, including non-standard quantitative technology and quantitative proteomics technology. We found lower dry matter accumulation of YM158 compared with ZM 9023 and FM1228 under low light intensities due to up-regulation of photosynthetic parameters electron transport rate (ETR), Y(II), Fv/Fm, Chl (a + b) of YM158 and down-regulation of Chl a/b. ETR, Y(II) and Fv/Fm significantly decreased between ZM9023 and FM1228. The ETR between PSII and PSI of YM158 increased, while light use efficiency (LUE) of ZM9023 and FM1228 decreased. We found that YM158 had greater propensity to adapt to low light compared with ZM9023, as the former was able to increase photochemical electron transfer rate, enhance photosystem activity, and increase the light energy under low light. This meant that the YM158 flag leaf has stronger regulatory mechanism under low light environment. Through proteomic analysis, we found LHC protein (LHCB1, LHCB4, LHCA2, LHCA3) for YH158 was significantly up-regulated, while the PSII subunit protein of FM1228 and ZM9023 b559 subunit protein were down-regulated. We also documented enhanced light use efficiency (LUE) due to higher light capture pigment protein complex (LHC), photosystem II (PSII), PSI and cytochrome B6F-related proteins, with dry matter accumulation being positively correlated with Fv/Fm, ETR, and ΦPS(II), and negatively correlated with initial fluorescence F0. We suggest that Fv/Fm, ETR, and ΦPS(II) could be considered in shade tolerance screening to facilitate wheat breeding.

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) productivity in intensive rice–wheat systems of the Jianghan Plain is constrained by sub-optimal nitrogen (N) management and residue handling. Straw residue return (SRR) can increase soil organic carbon and improve soil structure but may also immobilize N and alter the temporal pattern of soil mineral N (SMN). Although straw return and N fertilization have been widely studied, the combined effects on SRR and N applications on wheat yield and soil N dynamics in this region remain insufficiently resolved. In this study, we evaluated three SRR levels (0, 50, and 100% of approximately 3.5 t rice straw ha⁻¹) combined with four N application treatments over three years of field trials in the Jianghan Plain of Yangtze River Basin. Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design. Our results show that wheat performance is closely associated with SMN (NO₃⁻-N, NH₄⁺-N, total N) at 0–20 soil layers from booting to maturity. Grain yield increased sharply with N application, with SRR further enhancing yield. The combination of a 100% SRR and 70/30 basal-to-overwinter N split with a total N rate of 180 kg ha⁻¹ (T11) achieved the highest three-year mean grain yield. This superior performance was driven by optimized yield components, including a maximum of 55 grains per spike and a 1000-grain weight of 42.4 g under T11. Soil total N, nitrate-N, ammonium-N, and SOC were all significantly influenced by both N application timing and SRR. Across the three-year experiment, we concluded that 50–100% SRR combined with 70–100% basal N application represents an optimal agronomic practice for rice–wheat rotations in the Jianghan Plain.